Lady Keladry
by Elvensmith
Summary: Kel returns to the palace to enjoy life with familiar characters. Romance sparks up between her and Dom while she copes with her new reputation and being a legendary knight.
1. Glaive Practice

Lady Keladry

By Elvensmith

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, settings, or main ideas. All credit goes to Tamora Pierce, author of "the Protector of the Small" quartet, on which this is based.

Keladry of Mindelan awoke, the sun blaring in her eyes, and cursed. Riding late into the night had rendered her too sleepy to wake at dawn. She'd promised her mother, Yuki and Shinko that she'd join them in glaive practices. Quickly, she dressed in simple breeches and a quilted shirt, fed the sparrows perched on the window sill and grabbed her glaive, a deadly souvenir from her years in the Yamani Islands and her favorite weapon, and rushed out to one of the various practice courts in the palace.

Ilane of Mindelan, Princess Shinkokami, and Yukimi stopped their efforts to look at the large young woman running down to meet them. Indeed, she was big for her age, with dreamy, hazel eyes, a firm, full mouth, and mouse brown hair cut to her earlobes and across her forehead. Her muscles fit snugly under her shirt, and her arms were scarred and callused from encounters with a baby griffin. Behind her trailed an ugly dog called Jump, whose triangular head sported to black little eyes and one ear that stood erect. Kel and her friends knew, however, that he was the meanest animal that one would ever hope to see in a battle.

Kel spun the glaive around in her fingers and joined Yukimi, who was a dear friend and betrothed to Kel's best friend Neal. She jumped into her practice stance and brought the weapon up to the guard position.

"I am glad you are back, Kel. We've missed you since you went North to fight those monsters," she said to Kel in Yamani as she cut at her waist.

Kel blocked swiftly, wincing as her muscles creaked, stiff from sleep. "I don't deserve to be missed. Anyway, you were probably thinking more about Neal then me."

Yuki crinkled her eyes to signify laughter, "Nonsense. We were very afraid for you when you ran away to save those of Haven. It was something only you would do, and we are all very grateful for it."

"If Blayce the Gallan hadn't been right there, I would've been content with retrieving my people," Kel retorted, always modest.

Yuki didn't reply to this and hanged the subject. "I am very excited for Raoul and Buri's wedding. It is strange that, after so many years of being alone and commanders of two of the Crown's greatest forces, they can still find someone," she said thoughtfully.

"You're still very young, though. When _will _you two get married, though?" Kel asked, having actually set Buri and her old knight master Raoul up, though unknowingly.

"Neal is still just starting his knighthood, though, just as you are. He needs time before he can really settle down in his duties. I am content simply to know that it will happen one day," Yuki smiled, obviously day-dreaming of her knight whilst she spoke.

"What _is _it you see in Neal?" Kel said, though she herself had had a crush on him while she was a page.

"There is nothing that is not charming about him to a cultured and tolerant woman, as I am," Yuki scoffed.

Kel giggled, returning the Yamani Lady's blow to the stomache after blocking it strongly. In her mind, she almost wished she herself could have a man whom she could defend. Her previous lover, Cleon of Kennan, had gotten married to benefit his fief which had recently sported severe flooding, and she had, to her shame, lost interest in him. Before that, she'd had a strong crush on Domitan of Masbolle, Neal's cousin and one of her good friends, which she'd never been entirely sure was gone.

"Still no one, then?" Yuki asked softly, seeing the expression on Kel's face change.

Kel put on her Yamani mask, envisioning herself as clear lake, and shook her head. "Nor do I want anyone. Men are much to confusing."

"Say what you will. You came in only yesterday, no? Then you have not seen your friends, have you?" Yuki panted slightly, bringing her glaive down to support herself on.

Kel brought hers down, too. "No. I was looking forward to see Dom. I was commanding his squad when we were going to Scanra last time I saw him. It'll be nice to talk to him without the heat of battle, you know?"

Yuki smiled knowingly and nodded. "Shall we go eat then? I am starved."

Kel followed the Yamani into the mess hall.

Note from the author: This is NOT the whole story, but merely chapter one. Nothing of Kel and Dom's romance has really been mentioned yet, but be PATIENT! I'm trying to ease in to it, okay? Please review, so I'll post more frequently. I hope it's written like Tamora Pierce would write it… ENJOY!


	2. Questions

"So, do famous Lady Knights not have to eat vegetables?" Neal sneered as she prepared to bring back her plate without eating the vegetables.

She glared at him, wondering when he had finally started listening to her advice. "What about yours?" she retorted, seeing that he'd only eaten a few string beans.

He raised an arched eyebrow tersely and stuffed the greens into his mouth. She smiled triumphantly and began to eat her own. "And since when did I become famous?" she asked between bites.

"All that Scanra stuff got out, Kel, and you know it. You were already known for your skill and all that, but this really made you stand out—"

"I'm a girl, Neal," she cut him off. "I already stand out." She looked down to hide her blush— had her mission to recapture her people really made her famous… or was it infamous?

Dom came to join Neal and her, his plate loaded with turkey, rice and vegetables. He smiled at Kel—the smile that had once made her feel like jelly and now made her feel warm. Kel knew she had missed him: his good company, his cool outlook, even his handsome face, which she couldn't deny.

"So, Lady Knight… learned anything new since I last saw you?" he grinned.

"Not really. It's only been a few weeks since I saw you," she said, noticing how blue his eyes were in the light from the chandelier. _No_, she told herself firmly. _I won't allow this to happen again, not so soon after Cleon._

Dom finished his food quickly, not heeding Kel as she ordered him to slow down. It was after they had finished eating and were walking toward the library that Neal brought it up.

"Tomorrow Raoul is having the rehearsal dinner. He ordered you to bring a partner, did he not?" he asked Kel, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Kel groaned. "Doesn't mean I _will_," she muttered.

"I don't have a partner," Dom commented with boredom.

"You'll find some random girl," she retorted scathingly. "You do it often enough."

"That hurt," he said with feeling. "I was going to ask if you would mind going with _me_."

She blinked. "You? Well… I suppose it'd be a lot easier then going with some stuck-up noble that I don't know," she mused.

He grinned. "It's a date then!" and walked off whistling.

"Wait—I didn't say yes!" she yelled after him, but he pretended not to hear. "You sure your family isn't in the Book of _Meatheads_, Neal?" she hissed.

"Quite… and what was your family in again?" he said lightly.

"We aren't, dimwit," she replied absent-mindedly. "Do I have to wear a dress?"

Neal nodded and left her to stand at the library door alone. She glared at her reflection on the polished wood—she wasn't exactly the prettiest girl at the palace, and there were scars all over her arms… what would Dom think of her in a dress? Was he even inviting her as a girl? What if he didn't like the way she looked? She closed her eyes and thought of that clear, smooth lake, breathing deeply. This was just a friend taking a friend, nothing else to it.


	3. Jealous

Kel took a deep breath and knocked on the hard wooden door. She heard the chatter and laughs of young women, all happy to be in Lalasa's famous shop. Kel would not be happy to be there.

Kel's previous maid opened the door herself, her eyes wide as she took in the Lady Knight's great presence. "Milady!" she cried and flung herself onto Kel. "What brings you here?"

Kel blushed. "I need a dress for Raoul's rehearsal dinner," she said quietly. "Do you have time?"

Lalasa nodded fervently, pulling Kel into the bumbling shop. She brought her into a fitting room, ordering her to undress after forcing her onto a stool. Kel, red-faced, did what she was told, changing into a better breast band and corset. She then pulled out various shades brown and pink, thrusting surcoats, petticoats, girdles, laces, undergowns, smocks and layered skirts into her hands before fitting them to her muscular body. Kel stayed as stiff as she could, remembering what her mother had drilled into her head when she was a young girl. Actually, it wasn't much difficult from what she'd told her to do when being healed, though Kel had practiced the latter much more. She closed her eyes, trusting her old maid not to poke her with those gleaming, sharp needles that she weaved in and out of the soft materials so nimbly. Kel had lost all feeling in her legs when Lalasa finally finished and steered her to a mirror to admire herself.

Kel bit her lip as she saw herself—she didn't see Kel in that mirror, but a lady. The dress was pale pink underneath, the skirts layered with brown and rose, her cloak dark and warm… she removed it to find her arms bare, exposing the full silk sleeves, so plush she had to stroke them, brown velvet fitting tightly to her waist… "It's beautiful, Lalasa. How was it you did it in so little time?"

"I knew you would come for a dress sooner or later," Lalasa shrugged. "I had a lot of time to prepare."

Kel smiled slightly. "But what will I do with my hair… and my face? I never needed cosmetics while training—"

"We'll go buy some then, milady," Lalasa said pleasantly.

"No—I'm sure I don't _really _need it!" Kel yelped.

"Cosmetics will distract viewers from your scars so that they look at your beautiful eyes instead," Lalasa said firmly.

"Don't you have a shop to run… or someone to be with?" Kel asked heatedly, realizing too late that what she had said might be a delicate subject for Lalasa.

"Maybe," Lalasa smiled secretively. "I'll tell you about her while we shop."

"Her?" Kel asked with confusion.

"Yes," she grinned.

Kel shrugged and simply let the older girl have her way.

She took a deep breath, trying not to look at the girl in the mirror. Dom was going to be there… he would get one look of her and decide that he didn't want to go after all… but she was strong, she could handle that sort of reaction.

There was a knock on the door. Kel envisioned the smooth lake and opened the door. Dom looked handsome in dark grey breeches, a black sleeveless tunic rimmed with silver embroidery, and a silk grey shirt. He himself stared at her, a pretty girl in Lalasa's dress, dark lip paint, faint blush, tinted rice powder and green color around her eyes. Her hair was gathered into a tumbling bun by numerous pins and a leather thong, and glitter had been sprinkled over her, making her look more like a vision than a person. She was beautiful, he realized, but where was Kel?

"It's still me, you dope," she commented quietly, showing him her hands that were still covered in scars. "If you make any comments about the way I look, I can still beat you up."

This made him laugh. It _was _still her, though with a little more color. "How can I not, though? You look great—worthy of my accompaniment, I'd say."

She cuffed his ear, careful not to tear the arms of her dress… she wasn't sure how sturdy this thing was. "Let's get this over with. I can't breathe."

He smiled and took her arm, and they walked to the rehearsal dinner.

Certainly, the reactions of the guests were not the way she expected them to be. They all seemed to admire her, as if she was some sort of magnificent creature. Could cosmetics really do so much for her? Maybe she should wear them more often and people wouldn't think she was simply some sort animal with a fighting demon within. They went to sit in between Neal and Yuki and Raoul and Buri.

"You look like a girl, Kel," Neal said in a voice as if he was warning her.

"That's because I am," she growled, daring him to continue the conversation.

"How did I not know you were pretty?" he chuckled, ignoring her comment.

"To think that once I would have given _anything _for you to say that. I'm so glad you didn't."

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply.

She smiled—she had him in a rare position where he was clueless. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what? What are you talking about?" he snapped, almost frantically.

"When I was younger… there was this boy that I… well…"

"What?"

"Well, there was this guy, when I was a page, that I had a crush on," she sad simply.

"Who—what?" Now she had him confused.

"Oh, Gods, Neal, you can be so clueless," Dom growled at his cousin. "She's saying that she had a crush on you when you were younger!"

Kel glared at Dom. "You stole my punch line."

"It wasn't funny, Kel. You girls never understand how we feel about these kinds of things," he said exasperatedly.

Kel frowned—this wasn't like Dom. "Sorry… I didn't realize I was hurting your feelings…" she said sarcastically. "Because, as you know, I _was _talking to you."

He met her eyes and her heart began to thump faster… was she really falling for him all over again? He broke the gaze and began to shovel food into his mouth. Neal opened his mouth and then closed it, changing his mind about what he was going to say.

"I'm sorry I forced you guys into this," Raoul murmured. "Didn't think you'd show up, actually, much less _together_."

Kel swallowed her food with difficulty. "It's not like I can ignore your orders, sir. Once again, I am forced to comment that you are a bad man."

Raoul chuckled a little. "I didn't think Dom felt this way about you, to tell the truth."

Dom choked. "I _don't_! I asked her because I had to find someone to go with who wouldn't make me dance and stuff!" he snapped.

Kel stared at him, trying to put on her Yamani face but failing. Did he not think of her feelings at all? What he'd said had hurt.

"Think about what you say, Dom," Neal hissed, suddenly dead serious.

Dom looked taken aback. "I… I didn't mean to imply…" Dom started.

"What _did _you mean to imply?" she asked, her eyes cold. Why was Dom acting this way?

"I was just saying that we're just friends… that this was just, just…" he said quietly, his voice hoarse.

Kel's happiness vanished. She realized that she'd been hoping that _maybe _this hadn't entirely been because they were friends… that maybe, just maybe, it was because he liked her as a girl. Of course, she'd known that it wasn't true, but it was all right to hope, wasn't it? And now the hope was gone. And anyway, wasn't it better this way? If he'd loved her, then she would have had to tell him that she just wanted to settle into _knighthood _now, and that she didn't wasn't that kind of relationship with him… she didn't, did she?

"It's alright, Dom," she smiled. "I would've said the same thing."

He didn't seem content with her reply, but he decided to discontinue the subject and eat his food.

Neal and Raoul glared at him with critical, cold eyes, not satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. Buri sighed.

"Shall we all go dance?" Yuki asked, trying to break the tension.

Kel smiled at this prospect and pulled Dom away with her to the dance floor. "Don't kill me," she said quietly out of the corner of her mouth.

"I'll do anything for you as long as it means I don't have to be under the eyes of Neal and Raoul," he said happily.

She smiled in reply and put her hands around his neck as he placed his on her hips. She was all too aware of how close they were, but tried to push it out of her mind and concentrate on the steps to the dance.

"It's been a while since I've done this," she commented.

"Tell me about it," he said distractedly, staring at his feet in an effort to remember the steps. He stepped on her foot as they whirled into a different position.

Kel bit back a yelp. "You're terrible," she croaked when the pain was nearly gone.

He chuckled, his laugh making Kel feel very warm inside. "I know," he said very quietly, moving in a little closer.

Kel could see the freckles on his nose—they were far too close. "I think I want some punch," she said hastily.

He cleared his throat and released her. "Yeah, sorry…"

She took a deep breath, smoothing down her dress's skirts and walked over to the punch table, her face very red.

Kel and Dom didn't dance again for the rest of the night, nor really spoke for the matter. When the speeches started, Kel was forced to say something herself, and so did Dom, Alanna the Lioness and the King. She was only too happy to leave.

As she walked to her rooms, Neal stopped her. "Kel… I want to talk to you."

She nodded and offered him a seat in her room. "I wish you'd let me get out of this thing first."

He waved this comment aside. "So you liked me?"

She laughed a little. "Yeah, when we were pages."

"You know… I kind of did too… but I didn't really know until afterwards."

"What do you mean?" she said.

"Well, when you and Cleon became lovers, I was always sort of tense, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why… t was when I met Yuki when I found out that I had feelings for you," he said with a shrug. "But that's not what I came here for."

"Then why'd you come?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of water.

"It's about Dom. You shouldn't let him talk to you the way he did," he said bluntly.

"But I can't blame him," she said. "I would've said the same thing. He didn't mean to imply that I'm unattractive or anything like that. His tongue just slipped. Dom is my friend—I know he would never want to hurt me like that."

"But he's a guy, Kel. He was jealous when you said what you did to me—it was plain as day," he said exasperatedly. "And he did that because he doesn't know how to express himself. You have to tell him what you think, or he'll hurt you."

"Jealous?" she laughed. "He was just… truth to tell, I don't know why he acted the way he did, but it was certainly not because of _that_. And I don't want to jeopardize our friendship by confronting him. Dom's a good guy—we both know that."

Neal sighed. "I just—Dom wasn't being _normal_. And guys aren't normal when they like a girl. If he doesn't come clean about it, he'll just be mean… I would have thought that a grown man would be able to express himself, but apparently Dom can't. He'll understand if you tell him your response to it. Like you said—Dom's a good guy, and he knows that what he said was wrong."

"But what if you're wrong? That will ruin our friendship. Neal, I want to believe you—you know I trust you—but I need to be sure before I do anything about it. Maybe he was just in a bad mood," she said with finality.

Neal studied her for a few minutes before standing. "Do what you will, Kel," he said with a sigh. He looked her up and down and commented," You really look great in a dress. You should wear them more often."

Kel prepared to retort but he was gone before she could open her mouth. She shut it and sat on her bed, thinking. After a while, she decided to forget it until there was a reason to bring it up and readied herself for bed.

Note: Hi! I didn't write a note last time… sorry about that. I've got so many reviewers already! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'll try and respond to your reviews more often, too, because you guys are the ink for my pen! I hope you like this new update… hope you don't fall asleep while reading it. It is SUPER LONG… If you've got any ideas, just tell me, and I'll try to pay heed to them! Speaking to ideas, one of my reviewers gave me one! She said that the dress should be pink and, though I decided against making that something really important, I'm still really grateful. Her name is Lady Blooddrop! Yay Lady Blooddrop!!!

Anyway, shout outs to: theweirdworder, SarahE7191, Fire Daughter, quickreader93, Lady Blooddrop, Kari of Mindelan, sharingiscaring.


	4. Duel, Part 1

Kel was eating her breakfast sleepily after glaive practice when the man came and smacked her with his riding glove. Did this man want to joust? Kel asked herself, remembering that this is how men had challenged her when she was on the Grand Progress a few years ago.

"Is what I heard true?" the man snapped at her, thrusting himself onto his seat.

Kel whipped her hands and moved her plate aside, studying the man. He looked very familiar. "Is what true, sir?" she asked.

"Don't _sir _me, Kel," he spat at her.

"Garvey?" she asked after a few seconds. "I didn't recognize you."

He flinched. "They tell me that _you _killed Blayce the Gallan."

"I did," she acknowledged, frowning. "Don't you believe it?"

"The hell I do! He must have been some runt, though!" he growled.

"He was," she nodded. "But his protection was quite large, I can assure you."

"There's no doubt that this is some _scam _to get the conservatives to believe in your skill… but I'm not fooled, _whore_," he hissed.

She wasn't fazed by his insult—he wasn't the first who had called her this. "And why are you telling me this?"

"I wish to prove my point, _scum_. If you are truly worth your title, the Gods will let you win, and if you are simply the trash I believe you to be, you will _die_," he said dramatically.

Kel bit her lip. A fight to the death? Those were drastic measures, even for Garvey. He knew she was skilled, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself… so why would he risk himself? There were plenty of other ways to tarnish her name.

"Details?" she asked him, knowing better then to refuse. It would simply prove his point.

"Tomorrow at noon. No armor—swords," he said with malice, his eyes gleaming.

Kel sighed a little before nodding her head… she'd always known that people doubted her, but she wished that people could lay off a little and maybe accept the proof she was giving them. As soon as this fight was over, there would be many more challenges—if she were still alive. "Can I please finish my breakfast?" she demanded then, when he didn't leave.

He spat in front of her and marched from the room.

Neal walked in the mess hall then, his green eyes calculating, unusual for him in the morning. He sat down before her and frowned. "Since when does _Garvey _run around spitting at girls?"

"I never thought he was much of a conservative myself," she murmured. "But maybe he's simply like Joren's father—thought that his death was my fault."

"Maybe. But what was he talking to you about?" Neal asked, his eyes sparking with interest.

"A fight to the death tomorrow at noon," Kel said quietly. Neal was going to worry about her, but she couldn't avoid telling him or he'd just get angry. "He doubted that I had the strength to kill Blayce."

"_To the death?_" he hissed. " But that's risky even for a conservative! And what if you're _killed_?"

She shrugged, putting on her Yamani mask. "You know I couldn't refuse, Neal," she said.

He scowled at her. He knew that it would just create more trouble if she refused to duel. "Kel—what will we do if you get killed?"

"You know better then to suggest that, Neal," she said softly. Although she often doubted her skills, her friends never did, either because they knew she would succeed or because they were afraid of her reaction. "Some conservative scum like Garvey can't beat me. It's just that I don't want to kill him."

"Cocky, are we?" Neal chuckled, despite the grim subject.

She bit her lip. "I didn't mean to say that it was _impossible_," she said hastily.

Neal glanced over his shoulder to see Dom going to sit with some men of the Own. "Hey, Dom!" he yelled to his cousin. Dom raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to play chess later? Noon, say?" he asked when Dom came over.

"Yeah, sure, Meathead. But I request cousin-to-cousin confidentiality about the results," he said, winking at Kel.

Her stomach did flip-flops and she hastily looked back at her foods. Having a crush on anyone was too dangerous for her—it never lasted. She couldn't help but here Neal's voice over and over in her head—_"__He was jealous when you said what you did to me—it was plain as day."_

"Like you did last time. Even Kel knows that I win every time…" he chuckled, but his eyes were anything but humorous.

Dom blushed a little, making Kel's blood run cold—since when did Dom blush—and walked off purposefully. She exchanged an inquisitive look with Neal and murmured, "This doesn't happen to be about last night, does it? Honestly, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"What we are to discuss is of no concern to you."

She shrugged. "Just remember that you have to be a the wedding at six."

"Oh yeah… What are you wearing? The same dress?" he asked.

"Pigs might fly!" she laughed, pleased at the laugh this wrung out of Neal—it was an all-too-familiar phrase from his previous knight master, Lady Alanna. "Raoul said he wants people to recognize me so that he can brag about having trained me. I'm wearing a tunic and breeches in Mindelan colors."

"I'm glad—I was sure that Raoul was going to kill _one _of your admirers. And it's hard to look away from a lady so pretty as yourself," Neal drawled.

"Shut up, Meathead," she said quietly, trying to keep herself from giggling—maybe making her feel like such a girl was something that ran in Neal's family…

"Since when do you have permission to call me that?" he snapped.

"Since when does Dom?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He didn't respond to this but ate his breakfast.

"What's going on with you?" Neal asked mildly as he moved his pawn forward, sipping his whine.

"What do you mean?" Dom asked, copying Neal's own move.

"You know very well what I mean. You insulted Kel last night. I can't deny that I was surprised. You're much more likely to flirt then insult, even if it's the cook you're with," he said, mentioning the fat, ugly lady that ran the kitchens.

Dom couldn't help but grin. "Raoul thought that we were… you know, more than friends," he said, looking down to hide the slight blush that had crept on him when he thought about that moment the previous day. "Kel would have killed me if I, if I went along with it…"

Neal watched him with suspicion as he moved a knight. Finally, "I don't think that's why."

Dom, refused to look up into his cousin's eyes, his skin crawling with goosebumps, eyes wide as he thought about what Neal was suggesting. Yes, he liked Kel a lot… but as friends, nothing more…

"Whatever do you mean?" he cleared his throat. Thinking of Kel romantically made him very warm.

"You were acting like a boy with a crush on a girl he's too afraid to confess it to," Neal accused.

"You think that I _like _Kel?" he asked, chuckling a little. "Kel is one of my best friends. I think I would know if I had a crush on her after years of knowing her. But I can't deny that she looked really nice in that dress," he said, trying not to blush for the umpteenth time. What had gotten into him?

Neal himself turned a little red. "I'd rather you not repeat that. It will get you killed by Raoul—and it makes me a little uncomfortable. I just can't trust you on this, Dom—you _insulted _Kel, when all I've ever heard you do around a girl is flirt!"

Dom agreed with Neal in a small corner of his mind, but he couldn't admit that anything might be wrong with the way he felt. "I'm not proud of what I said… but you _know _she'd have killed me if I'd said otherwise," he pointed out.

"I'm surprised she _didn't_ kill you after the response you gave. And you guys flirt too often for her to have taken you seriously if you'd said anything else," Neal argued.

Dom looked at the chessboard, not seeing it. He was thinking about Kel—it _was _strange that she hadn't gotten angry with him. She was the fiercest woman he knew, but she hadn't seemed to care when he'd insulted her. What could have triggered that insult anyway, besides Raoul's accusation that Dom was interested in her?

"And you're not jealous either?" Neal prodded, taking Dom's second knight with his queen.

"Of who?" Dom asked with a frown… Neal had put him in check.

"Of—" Neal blushed "—of me. Because you didn't really seem, well, happy when she said that she'd had a crush on me as a page."

Dom's blood went cold and he froze while about to take out one of Neal's towers. He could feel Neal watching him intently. Dom swallowed and knocked Neal's piece off the board with an effort of will. "Why should I be? I told you that I don't feel that way about Kel. What makes you all so sure, anyway?"

"Notice that all you ever do around Kel is try to make her smile?" Neal said softly.

Dom frowned at the board. Kel had a very pretty smile, and he was always happy to be the one who made her do it, but how did that mean that he liked her?

"Check mate," Neal sighed. "One more thing before we get ready for the wedding, Dom. Kel is doing a fight to the death against Garvey."

Dom went pale. He knew Kel was one of the most able people he'd ever known, but the thought of her fighting Garvey to the death drained all the good out of the day. "_She can't_," he whispered.

Neal regarded his cousin with a stern look. "Maybe you should talk to her," he suggested after a few moments.

Dom looked at his cousin with eyes full of fear and hopelessness for their friend. "Yeah…" he finally replied before collapsing back into a chair as Neal left, his mind almost humming with thought.

**Note: If you've looked at the chapter name, you'll see that this is only part 1… I had a lot planned for this chapter, but it's really late, and I'll die if I don't write to you guys daily. Your reviews make me feel so special… I'd feel awful if I didn't at least **_**try **_**to live up to your expectations. But you'll get Kel's fight with Garvey in part 2.**

**Anyway, thanks to Kari of Mindelan who suggested that Neal have a talk with Dom… YOU'RE AWESOME.**

**Thanks to Starzgirl, although she hasn't read my story… she gets the credit for them playing chess… you should really read her story "Unwritten Love"! It's really how I want **_**my **_**story to be. She's almost as good as Tammy herself, and she makes me absolutely**_** love **_**Dom even more than I already did…**

**Thanks to thewierdworder, whose story you should **_**definitely **_**read, called "In her Darkest Hour". She writes tragedy better then anyone else I've read, and the way she writes the characters is absolutely true to the books! She also wrote some really good one-shots about Kel and Neal that are quick and fun to read called "Telling Neal". She also gives me really awesome, long reviews! So YAY!**

**I also have to thank Peacelovegreen, ****SarahE7191****, ****Lady Blooddrop****, ****Fire Daughter****, ****quickreader93****, sharingiscaring. Even if they weren't recent, you gave me the reviews I needed to actually want to continue! **

**YAY!**


	5. Duel, Part 2

Kel sighed and sat down at one of the tables, spreading her legs out before her as she watched the pretty ladies and handsome men whirling about on the dance floor. Behind her, Raoul was chatting with his newly wed, both hiding from the mob of well-wishers. Kel had been at the wedding for three hours already and had eaten several plates of cake and other dishes. She'd actually given a speech, which she'd rehearsed a few hours earlier, and now she was ready to go to her room and sleep.

Dom came over to sit next to her. He'd brought a pretty young lady as a dinner partner, though Kel could see how annoyed he was by her as she begged him to dance over and over again.

"You're done for the night?" he asked with a chuckle. He looked back at Raoul and Buri behind them and winked.

"Yeah," she replied with a yawn.

"You look nice in that," he said with a lop-sided smile. "It really brings out those beautiful eyes of yours."

Kel frowned at him, hoping he wouldn't notice her blush, and hit his arm. "What has happened that you dare mock me so?" she demanded.

Kel wore a blue, velvet tunic with a golden hem, a cream-colored silk shirt and grey hose, tucked into knee-high polished boots. The colors rather clashed with her hazel eyes. Dom, on the other hand, wore a dark blue silk tunic, a white cotton shirt with full sleeves and black breeches tucked into calf-high leather boots. These colors were dazzling against his fully muscled body and blue eyes… she hardly dare look at him for fear that he would see the hairs rise on her neck and the goosebumps on her skin.

"We of the Meathead tribe find it satisfying," he said airily, his nose held high in the air. Suddenly, his face changed… "He told me that you're fighting Garvey of Snotnose tomorrow," he said quietly, his humor hardly reflecting in his voice or face.

"Yeah. So what? I've fought plenty before," she retorted—she was getting tired of her friends being so worried for her.

"I've seen you in a fight Kel—you're a true commander, it's very plain. And I've seen you joust, and there's no doubt that you're one of the best. Truth to tell, I can't say that you're bad with a sword, though I've only seen you with a glaive, lance and bow. I _can _say that you won't to kill Garvey, if you get to that," he said, his eyes soft as they looked into her own. Kel decided not to interrupt him –he wasn't completely wrong. "You hate killing the _enemy_, Kel. How can I be sure that you'll finish him off when you've the chance?"

Kel looked away from those beautiful blue eyes. "Just because I don't _want _to doesn't mean that I _won't_," she said with false confidence. How was he making her tell him all of this? Kel was a private person; this was something she didn't normally share with others. "Was that all that Neal talked to you about?"

"Well, no…" he stuttered, taken by surprise. _I could look into her eyes forever_, he thought, and frowned. "I actually wanted to apologize… you know, for what I said. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Kel. Did you think I took you because—well, because of…"

"No!" she said in shock. "Of course not. I know that we're just friends. I was just kind of… you don't normally say things like that."

"I didn't mean that you were _undesirable _or anything—"

"I know, Dom," she said, smiling a little. "But I'm glad that you made an effort to apologize."

He returned her smile, and she felt her insides melt. He was such a handsome man… she bit her lip. She couldn't be so fickle, could she? Dom's own insides warmed as she smiled. It always had, which was why he always sought to bring it about.

"Come on… I'll take you back to your room—you've got to get some sleep for the duel," he said after a moment. His insides cringed even as he acknowledged the fact that she was going to duel tomorrow. He believed what he'd told her earlier, but it had cost him his very essence to tell her.

She giggled a little before blushing. "No—I'm very capable of walking back to my own rooms," she said hoarsely.

He paled a little. He hadn't expected her to turn him down. "Okay, then, Lady Knight," he said, using an enormous amount of effort to sink back into his normal, slightly flirtatious manner.

She was grateful that he was back to normal now. She stood and turned to Raoul and Buri who were talking quietly. "If you'll excuse me, sir, ma'am?"

Raoul laughed quietly. "Begone! Oh, how I wish we could leave with you."

She shook her head and turned away, ignoring the feeling of Dom's eyes on her back as she walked away.

Kel shook out her arms and legs, stretching as she watched Garvey joking with his friends as his squire polished his sword and helped him stretch. Kel preferred to be left alone before she fought—the peace and quiet was soothing. On the bleachers were many of her friends and family: Neal, Yukimi, his father Baird, Dom, who's face looked like a block of wood, Raoul, Buri, Shinko and Roald next to the king and queen, her mother and her father, Anders, one of her brothers, Faleron, one of her year-mates, and Qasim, a man of the King's Own that she'd befriended way back when she was a page.

Kel took a deep breath of air. She wore a padded cotton shirt and quilted hose. Her shoes were slippers favored by the Yamanis. She removed her sword, Griffin from her sheath, admiring the tempered blue steel and plain black hilt—it was Raven Armory and styled in the Yamani way, her prize beneath her glaive. She stepped toward Garvey, putting on her Yamani mask. He strutted forward and moved into guard position.

"The challenge is put by Garvey of Runnerspring to Keladry of Mindelan. She has accepted this challenge, a battle to death by means of swords," said the field monitor, his voice carrying easily over the silent viewers. "Let the match begin!"

Kel stepped back a little, eyes on Garvey's arms and legs. She kept her sword up, her feet constantly moving so that he could not catch her off guard. He was smiling hungrily, looking her in the eye.

"Why don't you attack?" he cackled. "Too afraid, _girl_?"

She kept her mouth shut—such easy tricks as provoking your opponent would never work on her. She could wait until evening for him to attack.

There—a muscle twitched and she blocked swiftly as his arm slithered out to cut her. Quickly, she switched the block into an attack and chopped at his side… he stumbled back, enough to have time to recollect himself.

Dom balled up his fists. How could he bare watch this when he was afraid for his friend even as she attacked? He'd seen her fight many times before, so how was this different. Kel was strong—she couldn't die, and besides, she'd probably promised to Raoul. He bit his lip so hard that it bled as she dodged a clean sweep at her head, ducking and coming up under Garvey to nip a little cut in his leg. The knight was not to be fooled by this—leaped back, barely preventing her from cutting through his entire leg, switching hands and bringing his sword down on her head. Dom closed his eyes as she blocked and performed a butterfly cut, or a half figure eight on either side of his head, cutting his cheekbone and a few strands of hair off in the process. Dom could see the fear on Garvey's face, though he tried to disguise.

"Are you okay, Dom?" Neal leaned over to him, his emerald eyes worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's Kel you should worry about," he said hoarsely, trying his hand at Kel's Yamani mask.

"Kel will be fine," Neal said, although he glanced back at his friend while he said it.

"I'm not worried that she's capable of beating him. But can she _kill _him?" he asked Neal, his mask faltering. He couldn't be dishonest around his cousin.

"Do you really think she'll allow herself to get killed?" Neal said sharply.

Dom didn't reply… Kel had yelped, ever so quietly. He saw it immediately—a gash on her shoulder that she now clutched, switching the blade to her other hand. If she didn't finish the fight quickly, she'd begin to feel light-headed and might even faint from the blood loss. Dom clenched his jaw. _She can't die on me now_, he thought passionately. Why did he feel so strange? He'd never cared so much before. He'd been quite content to let her fight her own bouts…

Garvey his her with his hilt and stumbled to the ground. He brought his sword up…

_Oh… _he thought to himself. _I never thought about it that way_. Dom stared at the young woman as she blocked him with newfound strength, her eyes burning with a new light. It had become apparent to him now, why he'd been feeling so strangely about Kel, at least he thought so. _A crush? _He chuckled slightly to himself as Kel engaged Garvey in a flurry of attacks. _Since when, I wonder._

Kel felt Dom's eyes on her as she knocked Garvey's sword out every position that he brought it into, forcing herself not to smile as his expression quickly changed from confident to afraid for his life. She swiped at his legs, causing him to jump and stumble onto his knees as she flicked the sword from his hand She brought her sword to a rest by his neck. This is what she'd been afraid of—Garvey had done nothing to deserve death. She couldn't kill him, just as Dom said. She heard the audience shift nervously. Could she kill an innocent man?

"Do you plead mercy?" she asked quietly.

He frowned at her… he seemed to have remembered that he was a conservative and far better then her. "Ask for mercy from a _cow _like you?" he hissed.

She nodded impatiently. "I won't stay my blade all day."

He glanced at his friends. "Are you _afraid _to kill me—just like a girl, isn't it?" he snapped.

She decided not to answer. Maybe it was because she was a girl, but she didn't think that Neal would have killed him either.

"Is something wrong, Lady Knight?" the field monitor yelled, clearly puzzled.

The only way that she could avoid killing him was to forfeit, and that would simply attract more conservatives to do the same as he, and she would have to kill every single one of them. If she killed him, she might lessen those numbers.

"Mithros forgive me," she whispered, and slit his throat, closing her eyes as she felt his blood splatter onto her.

She left quickly, pausing only to give her sword to Qasim as well as her padded clothing before she ran to her room. She threw-up. Several times, knowing that it would not ease her disgust with herself. Finally, she sat down on her bed, letting herself cry out a few tears—she had killed someone who'd done nothing to her but insult her, and that because of peer pressure most likely. Garvey had never been much of a conservative, much less aggressive.

Someone knocked on her door, but she neglected in answering. After a few minutes, Ilane entered the room.

"Oh my… what is that stench?" she gasped.

Kel blushed a little. "I… don't worry about it. How about we go take a walk?"

Kel's mother frowned, but followed her out of the palace into the grounds.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Ilane asked, concern creasing her brow.

"I killed him, mama," she whispered.

Ilane nodded in understanding. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that it's alright. But I agree with your perspective—he didn't doanything to you or anyone else, and therefore did not deserve to die. But there was nothing you could've done my child."

Kel looked up at her mother. "It doesn't ease the feeling in my gut. I'm not even sure if he meant what he said."

Ilane hugged Kel to her. "I noticed a young man looking more afraid for you then yourself."

Kel frowned. "You did? Anyone you recognize."

"Oh, I've seen him with you—handsome man—"

"I don't know any handsome men," Kel said hastily. She had an idea of who it might be, but she preferred it remain unconfirmed.

"Sure you do. Your friend, Neal, certainly is. To tell the truth, he did look a bit like him," her mother continued ruthlessly.

"Ma—please. I'd rather not know," Kel said firmly.

"Well, okay then. Speaking of men, how are you doing without Cleon?"


	6. Respect

Kel sat in her room and stared at her hands. What was going on? When she'd left New Hope, she'd been excited about seeing Dom and being able to talk without the distractions that had been around them previously. Yet something was still preventing them from doing so. She and Dom were good friends—it had been like that since her first day with the King's Own, so why was it so difficult for her to be around him? Before, when she'd had a crush on him, she'd still been able to talk to him without feeling self-conscious and nervous. And, besides, her feelings for him had gone when she and Cleon had started courting.

So _what had changed_?

She barely heard someone knock on her door. Se opened it to see an elderly man in handsome attire. She'd bet four silver nobles that he was another conservative.

She was right. "I want satisfaction from you," he said frankly. She could have mistaken it for a suggestion, but his eyes showed no humor, only disgust.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Kel said steadily. She wasn't some servant wench. He would ask nicely.

"_Trollo_p," he spat. "You killed a knight! And you showed no mercy to the buffoon. You obviously cannot understand the code of chivalry."

"And would he have done had I shown him mercy?" she sighed. She knew the answer before he said it.

"Better you than him!" he hissed. "I want vengeance, girl. I want it before the court," he said.

She sized him up—sure, he was older, but his loose, elegant shirt could not disguise the respectable muscles on his arms. However, he seemed to have focused mainly on training them, and not so much his legs. She'd have to rely on her legs to beat him. Kel nodded curtly. "You'll have your duel. When?"

"Tomorrow at sunrise," he said. "I expect to have a good fight, Lady Keladry." He turned to leave.

She caught his arm. "Lady _Knight _Keladry. It's what I am, according to the King and the Chamber of the Ordeal. Respect it, " she said curtly.

He looked at her critically for a few moments before yanking his arm from her hold and stalking away. She watched him leave with an annoyed expression. She didn't care all that much that some people didn't respect her as long as she had her shield, but she didn't like it either. The man hadn't even told her his name.

Someone tapped her on her shoulder. It was Yuki. Kel welcomed her into her room. Yuki's expression was worried—she'd gotten better at not using her mask.

"Was he another Conservative?" Yuki asked in Common. She had decided to speak only in the language that her betrothed spoke, as long as he made an effort to learn Yamani.

"He challenged me to another duel," Kel replied, nodding. Yuki sat on the bed next to her.

"You must kill?" Yuki asked.

"Not this time. I suppose that's good. It's just that—I'm so _sick _of them. I wish they'd respect me! Is it really so much to ask?" Kel whined. She caught herself and blushed. "I'm sorry Yuki. I didn't mean to pity myself, or be so… emotional."

"That's fine Kel. It is interesting." Yuki crinkled her eyes in amusement. "A mockingbird must listen to a nightingale to know how it sings."

Kel smiled at the metaphor. It was one of her favorite Yamani proverbs. "I remember when you were falling in love with Neal."

"Did you realize? I did not," Yuki let a soft laugh escape.

Kel remembered this and grinned. "It was obvious. You were always so concerned about him!"

Yuki nodded with a smile. "He is like a mule. As stubborn as a horse and as stupid as a donkey," she said quietly.

"Here we don't say 'as stubborn as a horse'! We say 'as stubborn as a mule'," Kel corrected her with humor.

"But then the saying wouldn't work," Yuki pointed out. "Sometimes, we must make exceptions."

Had she made an exception for Dom when she'd let him get away with how he'd acted at the rehearsal dinner? But the dance had been really wonderful. It really had made up for it… Was she some silly, lovesick girl to let simple charm get him out of an apology? But this was _Dom_ she was talking about! What he'd said had been abnormal—but she was his friend. She could let little things like that slide once in a while. And why was that? It had been a little slip-up, so why was everyone –including her—so concerned about it? Besides, he'd been right. He and Kel _were _just friends…

"Would you like to get some lunch?" We can sit with that sergeant you're in love with!" Yuki said.

"What? What are you talking about?!" Kel exclaimed.

"That handsome man—Neal's cousin. You two are in love, no?" Yuki said, a delicate mask on her face once more.

"Dom? Mithros, no!" Kel laughed. They weren't in love—it was possible that she was affected by his looks and charm, but she didn't _love _him. Right? But, then, why couldn't she get him out of her head? Why couldn't she talk to him without being acutely aware of their nearness, of the blueness of his eyes, of her own female parts? She didn't know the answer, so she pushed it out of her mind.

"Nevertheless, you seem to enjoy his company, as do I. Wouldn't it be nice to join him and the others of the King's Own?" Yuki asked.

Kel could see a mischievous twinkle in her friend's eye and decided that it was best to do as she suggested. "It would be nice," she finally admitted. Wolset and the others would be there. It would be like before. Maybe she would finally be able to talk to Dom the way she'd been wanting to.

Kel and Yuki sat across from Dom and Wolset, surrounded by laughing and chattering men. She noticed that many of them were stealing glances at Yuki. She, herself, constantly felt Dom's eyes on her.

"Would you call our dogs off of my friend?" Kel demanded. Really, she wanted him to stop, too—but when she looked up, he was glaring at his stew as he shoveled it into his mouth.

"Don't deny a man his freedom!" Dom protested. Dom smiled when he saw her chuckle. Her eyes were so beautiful when she laughed. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before.

"I can't let them feed on her presence. They might not eat their vegetables!" Kel smiled.

Yuki elbowed her and shielded he face with her shurikan. She was embarrassed.

"So sorry, Mother!" Wolset guffawed. "We'll try to resist."

Kel frowned at him. "Please respect a lady and her personal space," she said sternly, but there was laughter in her eyes. It was all fun, anyway. They weren't serious.

She smiled with satisfaction when she saw many of them avert their gaze.

"Dom, I'm dueling again tomorrow," she said suddenly, buttering a roll. What did she hope to achieve by telling him? For him to be afraid for her? For him to understand like he had before? For him to care?

"Are you going to do this everyday?" he demanded furiously, putting his knife and fork down. "You know better than me that you shouldn't fight so often. Sure, on the battlefield it's inevitable but it makes you that much more vulnerable—"

"Dom, I'll be okay. It's not a fight to the death like last time. I'll be okay," she said with a frown, popping the roll into her mouth. He seemed scared—she'd never seen him scared, not even when a ten-foot metallic monster advanced on him.

"Kel… I just don't want you to get too involved with these conservatives. They'll keep coming, and one day they'll kill you," he said quietly, his eyes bright. He didn't want to say it, but Kel had to know what he thought.

"Dom, I'm not going to get myself killed," she said steadily, although looking into his eyes made her giddy all over.

"You would've charged into Scanra all on your lonesome if Raoul hadn't sent us," Dom pointed out. "If it's about something dear to you, Kel, you won't be careful. I know you won't, and the conservatives probably do too," he said, trying to calm himself down. He just wanted her to _listen _to him!

"That's why I have friends like you. To make sure that I don't do anything stupid, or at least that I don't do it alone," she said practically, though her words sounded reckless in her own ears. He was right, of course. But this was how she was—he'd have to accept that, though she'd thought he already had.

"Please just be careful, Kel," Dom said, frowning. He turned back to his now cold stew.

"He's right, milady. We don't want you to get killed. Raoul would behead us if your friends didn't pick out our eyes," Wolset said sternly, nodding at Kel's sparrow, Nari, who rested on her shoulder.

Kel grinned at the jest. Dom tried not to feel sorry that it hadn't been him to make her smile, but the one that had made her frown. He produced a small laugh. "I doubt he'd go that far, but I certainly don't want to be demoted."

"I'm _at least _worth losing your job!" Kel guffawed. She missed this.

"Oh, Kel," Wolset suddenly sobered. "We almost forgot to tell you—we're setting out the day after tomorrow."

"You're leaving? Where to?" she asked with surprise.

"The eastern border with Tusaine. There have been some raids amongst the seasonal flooding and they're asking for relief. Third Company's riding out," Dom said. She thought she could detect a little bit of sadness in him. Truth to tell, she was too—she missed riding with Third Company, and she would miss Dom.

"Is my Lord going too?" Kel asked.

"Sort of. Buri's riding along with her group and, once we're done there, she and he are riding on to Pearlmouth for their honeymoon whilst we return to the Palace," Dom explained.

"Will you be able to find your way back without milord's help?" she joked. He grinned.

"Kel—can I see you later on?" someone asked. Kel turned to find Raoul looming over her. "I thought your tilting skills might be a little rusty," he said, a twinkle in his eye.

"My Lord, I am no longer your student. I reserve the right to refuse tilting with you," she protested.

"Don't you miss it? I think you look rather drab nowadays. I liked it better when you were blue and pink all over. Don't you agree, Dom?" Raoul cackled.

"Kel glared at Dom warningly, although she had to admit that she rather missed flying lessons—just not so much that she wanted to risk her life in having them again.

"Yes—much more interesting that way. She was like a work of art, with her mix of pinks and yellows and blues and purples… Like the most elaborate and beautiful of sunsets," Dom said with bravado, sighing heavily at the finish and gazing into the distance dreamily.

Kel resolved to put something soft and squishy in his bed very soon. "Fine, sir. I will participate in your 'tilting lesson'. Just try not to break me," Kel sighed.

Raoul winked and went to sit with Buri at another table.

**A/N: This is version 2 of Chapter 6… previously, I wrote a chapter 6 that I wasn't satisfied with and it seemed many readers weren't as well, so I decided to completely rewrite it, with a whole different thing going on. It took me a long time to get it up—I don't really have my own computer anymore. But don't hate me for taking a month to write each chapter! I'm trying to work on that!!**

**Also, check out my newest story, "Broken," which is for the January 2010 JoGeNuDoNaRo Challenge (something you can find in the Men of Tortall forum)! It's a tragedy about Kel trying to comfort Neal over his recent losses.**

**As always, please review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**


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